Paul Chater: Difference between revisions
Content deleted Content added
Sun Creator (talk | contribs) m General fixes, typo(s) fixed: ’s → 's |
Ohconfucius (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date= |
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} |
||
{{Infobox officeholder |
{{Infobox officeholder |
||
| name = Sir Catchick Paul Chater |
| name = Sir Catchick Paul Chater |
||
| Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
| birth_date = 8 September 1846 |
| birth_date = 8 September 1846 |
||
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], India |
| birth_place = [[Calcutta]], India |
||
| death_date = {{death date and age|1926|5|27|1846|9|8 |
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1926|5|27|1846|9|8}} |
||
| death_place = [[British Hong Kong]] |
| death_place = [[British Hong Kong]] |
||
| occupation = Businessman |
| occupation = Businessman |
||
| religion = [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]] |
| religion = [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Apostolic]] |
||
| spouse = Maria Christine Pearson |
| spouse = Maria Christine Pearson |
||
| website = |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
| footnotes = |
| footnotes = |
||
|office=[[Senior Unofficial Member]] of the [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Council]] |
|office=[[Senior Unofficial Member]] of the [[Executive Council of Hong Kong|Executive Council]] |
||
| Line 21: | Line 21: | ||
|governor=[[William Robinson (governor)|William Robinson]]<br>[[Henry Arthur Blake]]<br>[[Matthew Nathan]]<br>[[Frederick Lugard]]<br>[[Francis Henry May]]<br>[[Reginald Edward Stubbs]]<br>[[Cecil Clementi]] |
|governor=[[William Robinson (governor)|William Robinson]]<br>[[Henry Arthur Blake]]<br>[[Matthew Nathan]]<br>[[Frederick Lugard]]<br>[[Francis Henry May]]<br>[[Reginald Edward Stubbs]]<br>[[Cecil Clementi]] |
||
|successor=Sir [[Henry Pollock]] |
|successor=Sir [[Henry Pollock]] |
||
|office1=[[Senior Unofficial Member]] of the |
|office1=[[Senior Unofficial Member]] of the legislative council |
||
|term_start1=1 May 1900 |
|term_start1=1 May 1900 |
||
|term_end1=16 January 1906 |
|term_end1=16 January 1906 |
||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
|y=Jē dá |
|y=Jē dá |
||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Sir Catchick Paul Chater''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CMG}} ({{lang-hy|Փոլ Չաթեր}}; Chinese: 遮打; 8 September 1846 – 27 May 1926) was a prominent |
'''Sir Catchick Paul Chater''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CMG}} ({{lang-hy|Փոլ Չաթեր}}; Chinese: 遮打; 8 September 1846 – 27 May 1926) was a prominent British-Indian businessman of [[Armenians|Armenian]] descent in [[colonial Hong Kong]], whose family roots were in [[Calcutta]]. |
||
==Biography== |
==Biography== |
||
===Early life=== |
===Early life=== |
||
| ⚫ | Chater was born '''Khachik Pogose Astwachatoor'''<ref name="AutoO6-2"/><ref name="AutoO6-3"/> ({{lang-hy|Խաչիկ Պողոս Աստվածատրյան}}) in [[Calcutta]], British India, one of thirteen offspring of [[Armenians|Armenian]] parents Miriam and Chater Paul Chater. His father was a member of the [[Indian Civil Service (British India)|Indian civil service]]. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
Chater was orphaned at the age of seven, and he gained entry into the [[La Martiniere Calcutta|La Martiniere College in Calcutta]] on a scholarship. He later became a benefactor of the school when, in 1924/25 he made the single biggest donation to any institution or organisation whilst still alive, donating eleven lakhs Rupees to the desperately struggling school, thus allowing it to avoid certain closure. To honour his contribution to the school, Sir Paul Chater's name was included in the school prayer.<ref |
Chater was orphaned at the age of seven, and he gained entry into the [[La Martiniere Calcutta|La Martiniere College in Calcutta]] on a scholarship. He later became a benefactor of the school when, in 1924/25 he made the single biggest donation to any institution or organisation whilst still alive, donating eleven lakhs Rupees to the desperately struggling school, thus allowing it to avoid certain closure. To honour his contribution to the school, Sir Paul Chater's name was included in the school prayer.<ref name="AutoO6-4"/> In 1864,<ref name=orange/> he moved to Hong Kong from Calcutta and lived with the family of his sister Anna and sister's husband [[Jordan Paul Jordan]].<ref name="who"/> |
||
===Career=== |
===Career=== |
||
[[File:Chatchick_Paul_Chater.png|thumb|175px|left|Full-length portrait of Chater, c. 1903|alt=Full-length sepia portrait of distinguished gentleman with sideburns, wearing a 3-piece suit; body slight left-tilt]] |
[[File:Chatchick_Paul_Chater.png|thumb|175px|left|Full-length portrait of Chater, c. 1903|alt=Full-length sepia portrait of distinguished gentleman with sideburns, wearing a 3-piece suit; body slight left-tilt]] |
||
In the early days in Hong Kong, he was an assistant at the [[Bank of Hindustan, China and Japan]]. Later, with the aid of the [[Sassoon family]], he set up business as an exchange broker, resigned from the bank, and traded gold bullion and land on his own account.<ref name=who/> He took sea-bed [[Depth sounding|soundings]] at night in a [[sampan]] and was thus instrumental in plotting the reclamation of [[Victoria Harbour]].<ref name=who/> He is credited with a pivotal role in the colonial government's success in acquiring lands then held by the military, at a cost of two million pounds sterling.<ref name=orange |
In the early days in Hong Kong, he was an assistant at the [[Bank of Hindustan, China and Japan]]. Later, with the aid of the [[Sassoon family]], he set up business as an exchange broker, resigned from the bank, and traded gold bullion and land on his own account.<ref name=who/> He took sea-bed [[Depth sounding|soundings]] at night in a [[sampan]] and was thus instrumental in plotting the reclamation of [[Victoria Harbour]].<ref name=who/> He is credited with a pivotal role in the colonial government's success in acquiring lands then held by the military, at a cost of two million pounds sterling.<ref name="orange"/> |
||
In 1868, he and Sir [[Hormusjee Naorojee Mody]] formed brokerage company [[Chater & Mody]], a largely successful business partnership in |
In 1868, he and Sir [[Hormusjee Naorojee Mody]] formed brokerage company [[Chater & Mody]], a largely successful business partnership in Hong Kong, although the firm's Hong Kong Milling Company (aka [[Rennie's Mill]]) failed in 1908 and resulted in the suicide of Albert Rennie.<ref name=who/> |
||
In 1886, he helped [[Patrick Manson]] establish [[Dairy Farm]], and he entered the Legislative Council that same year, taking the place of F.D. Sassoon.<ref name=croucher |
In 1886, he helped [[Patrick Manson]] establish [[Dairy Farm]], and he entered the Legislative Council that same year, taking the place of F.D. Sassoon.<ref name="croucher"/> Also in 1886 Chater established Kowloon Wharf and Godown, predecessor of [[The Wharf (Holdings)]].<ref name="AutoO6-5"/> |
||
In 1889, he established [[Hongkong Land]] with [[James Johnstone Keswick]].<ref name=titans |
In 1889, he established [[Hongkong Land]] with [[James Johnstone Keswick]].<ref name="titans"/> Hong Kong Land commenced the [[Land reclamation in Hong Kong|land reclamation]] project under the [[Praya Reclamation Scheme]] in 1890. Persuaded by the suggestion of temporary councillor Bendyshe Layton that Hong Kong should have electricity, they secretly acquired an old graveyard in Wan Chai, where they built one of the earliest power stations in the world.<ref name=citylife/> In 1890, the [[Hongkong Electric]] Company went into production.<ref name="AutoO6-6"/> |
||
Chater was enthusiastic in two sports: He played for the [[Hong Kong Cricket Club]] 1st XI, and was a [[Thoroughbred horse race|thoroughbred horse racing]] enthusiast. He reportedly never missed the weekly races at the [[Happy Valley Racecourse]] in 60 years.<ref name=citylife |
Chater was enthusiastic in two sports: He played for the [[Hong Kong Cricket Club]] 1st XI, and was a [[Thoroughbred horse race|thoroughbred horse racing]] enthusiast. He reportedly never missed the weekly races at the [[Happy Valley Racecourse]] in 60 years.<ref name="citylife"/> He set up the Chater Stable in Hong Kong in 1872 that won many races at Happy Valley.<ref name="AutoO6-7"/> The [[Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup]], the [[Group One]] third leg of the [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing#Hong Kong|Hong Kong Triple Crown]], is named in his honour. |
||
In 1896, Chater joined government ranks when he was appointed to the [[Executive Council of Hong Kong]], and served there until 1926, the year of his death.<ref name=croucher/> Chater was knighted in 1902. In 1901, Chater constructed a very fine home with imported European marble at 1, Conduit Road, Hong Kong which he named '[[Marble Hall (Hong Kong)|Marble Hall]]'.<ref name="gatekeeper" |
In 1896, Chater joined government ranks when he was appointed to the [[Executive Council of Hong Kong]], and served there until 1926, the year of his death.<ref name=croucher/> Chater was knighted in 1902. In 1901, Chater constructed a very fine home with imported European marble at 1, Conduit Road, Hong Kong which he named '[[Marble Hall (Hong Kong)|Marble Hall]]'.<ref name="gatekeeper"/> Therein, he housed his collection of fine porcelain. To commemorate the [[Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra|coronation]] of King [[Edward VII]] in 1902, Chater presented a statue in bronze of the King to Hong Kong,<ref name="AutoO6-8"/> executed by [[George Edward Wade]] and unveiled at [[Statue Square]] in 1907. In 1904, Chater single-handedly financed the construction of [[St. Andrew's Church (Kowloon)|St. Andrew's Church]]<ref name=orange/> |
||
Some titles and positions held by Chater: |
Some titles and positions held by Chater: |
||
* Master of the [[Perseverance Lodge]] 1873 |
* Master of the [[Perseverance Lodge]] 1873 |
||
* Steward at the [[Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club]] |
* Steward at the [[Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club]] |
||
* |
* chairman of the board of Stewards of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (1892–1926) |
||
* Senior [[Justice of the Peace]] in Hong Kong |
* Senior [[Justice of the Peace]] in Hong Kong |
||
* District Grand Master of Hong Kong and South China ( |
* District Grand Master of Hong Kong and South China (1881–1909) |
||
* Director of [[Dairy Farm]] Co. Ltd., 1886 |
* Director of [[Dairy Farm]] Co. Ltd., 1886 |
||
* [[List of diplomatic missions of Thailand|Consul]] for [[Siam]] in Hong Kong |
* [[List of diplomatic missions of Thailand|Consul]] for [[Siam]] in Hong Kong |
||
| Line 74: | Line 73: | ||
* Chairman of the [[Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Committee]] 1897 |
* Chairman of the [[Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Committee]] 1897 |
||
* Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] 1897 |
* Companion of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]] 1897 |
||
* Honorary degree of [[Doctor of Laws|LL.D.]] by the [[University of Hong Kong]]<ref |
* Honorary degree of [[Doctor of Laws|LL.D.]] by the [[University of Hong Kong]]<ref name="archive2011092812"/> for services as the Honorary Treasurer 1923 |
||
==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
||
| Line 81: | Line 80: | ||
Chater died in 1926, and bequeathed Marble Hall and its entire contents, including his unique collection of porcelain and paintings, to Hong Kong. The remainder of his estate went to the [[Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth]] in Calcutta, which runs a home for Armenian elderly, named The Sir Catchick Paul Chater Home.<ref name=who/> He was interred at the [[Hong Kong Cemetery]]. |
Chater died in 1926, and bequeathed Marble Hall and its entire contents, including his unique collection of porcelain and paintings, to Hong Kong. The remainder of his estate went to the [[Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth]] in Calcutta, which runs a home for Armenian elderly, named The Sir Catchick Paul Chater Home.<ref name=who/> He was interred at the [[Hong Kong Cemetery]]. |
||
Chater's wife lived in Marble Hall as a life tenant until her death in 1935.<ref name=gatekeeper/><ref |
Chater's wife lived in Marble Hall as a life tenant until her death in 1935.<ref name=gatekeeper/><ref name="AutoO6-9"/> Ownership then passed to the government. It became "Admiralty House" – the official residence of the Naval Commander-in-Chief, and was commandeered by [[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong|Japanese during their occupation]]. It accidentally burned down in 1946, and the government buildings occupied the site since its demolition in 1953. Government residences named 'Chater Hall Flats' are today located on the site of Marble Hall.<ref name=gatekeeper/> |
||
Chater amassed a large collection of historical pictures and engravings relating to China which he gifted to the colony. The ''Chater Collection'' was subject to a work by its curator, James Orange, in 1924, at which time the collection stood at 430 items. Its backbone was the collection of Wyndham Law of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, and included oil paintings, watercolours, sketches, prints and photographs, most of which are based on landscape scenes of the South China [[Treaty ports|trading ports]] in the 18th and 19th centuries, and of British activities in China.<ref name=orange/> The ''Chater Collection'' was dispersed and largely destroyed during the [[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong|Japanese occupation]], and only 94 pieces (now an important part of the collection of the [[Hong Kong Museum of Art]]) are known to have survived.<ref |
Chater amassed a large collection of historical pictures and engravings relating to China which he gifted to the colony. The ''Chater Collection'' was subject to a work by its curator, James Orange, in 1924, at which time the collection stood at 430 items. Its backbone was the collection of Wyndham Law of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, and included oil paintings, watercolours, sketches, prints and photographs, most of which are based on landscape scenes of the South China [[Treaty ports|trading ports]] in the 18th and 19th centuries, and of British activities in China.<ref name=orange/> The ''Chater Collection'' was dispersed and largely destroyed during the [[Japanese occupation of Hong Kong|Japanese occupation]], and only 94 pieces (now an important part of the collection of the [[Hong Kong Museum of Art]]) are known to have survived.<ref name="AutoO6-10"/> |
||
On the occasion of Paul Chater's 171 birthday a bust of Paul Chater was unveiled at the |
On the occasion of Paul Chater's 171 birthday a bust of Paul Chater was unveiled at the [[La Martiniere Calcutta|La Martiniere Boys School, Kolkata]].<ref name="telegraphindia171832"/> |
||
* [[Chater Garden]] |
* [[Chater Garden]] |
||
| Line 91: | Line 90: | ||
* [[Chater Road]]<ref name=titans/> |
* [[Chater Road]]<ref name=titans/> |
||
* [[Catchick Street]]<ref name=titans/> |
* [[Catchick Street]]<ref name=titans/> |
||
* [[Peking Road]] was named Chater Street until 1909, when it was renamed to avoid confusion with Chater Road.<ref |
* [[Peking Road]] was named Chater Street until 1909, when it was renamed to avoid confusion with Chater Road.<ref name="AutoO6-11"/> |
||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
| Line 98: | Line 97: | ||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{Reflist |
{{Reflist |
||
|refs= |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
<ref name="AutoO6-2">Biography: Who Was This Man? CHATER. Liz Chater published 2010</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | |||
<ref name="AutoO6-4">''Armenians in India'': Mesrovb Seth, P.551</ref> |
|||
<ref name=orange>James Orange (1924). ''[http://ebook.lib.hku.hk/CTWE/B36599554 The Chater Collection: Pictures Relating to China, Hongkong, Macao, 1655–1860]''.</ref> |
|||
<ref name=who>England, Vaudine (16 December 2007) "Who was this man Chater?", Page 11, ''[[South China Morning Post]]''</ref> |
|||
<ref name=croucher>Vaudine England and Elizabeth Sinn, [https://books.google.com/books?id=nw1bTZV4BaAC&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=%22paul+chater%22+hku&source=bl&ots=r21VD5Grb4&sig=AUN33gxn_3_0K_m6F8l4cW-T6fg&hl=en&ei=C0pCTdzIBIuuuQOZ8InHAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDUQ6AEwBTgU#v=onepage&q&f=false ''The Quest of Noel Croucher: Hong Kong's Quiet Philanthropist''] (Hong Kong University Press, 1998)</ref> |
|||
<ref name="AutoO6-5">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.ca/books?id=L4UoAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA194&lpg=PA194&dq=kowloon+wharf+and+godown+was+founded+in+1886&source=bl&ots=89vwAffauY&sig=zb9yALkuS_nhqqeBboRYjKKXZ2Y&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjSiJva2bLWAhWB5YMKHa4KCi4Q6AEIezAR#v=onepage&q=kowloon%20wharf%20and%20godown%20was%20founded%20in%201886&f=false |title=The China Coast : Trade and the First Treaty Ports |author=Robert Nield |via=Google Books |date= |accessdate=8 September 2019}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name=titans>Jason Wordie, [http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=27127&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19990418&sear_year=1999 Land-grabbing titans who changed HK's profit for good] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522042337/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=&art_id=27127&sid=&con_type=1&d_str=19990418&sear_year=1999 |date=22 May 2011 }}, 18 April 1999</ref> |
|||
<ref name=citylife>[http://www.citylifehk.com/citylife/eng/history_0810.jsp "The Legacy of Sir Catchick Paul Chater"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708160606/http://www.citylifehk.com/citylife/eng/history_0810.jsp |date=8 July 2011 }}, ''City Life''. Retrieved 28 January 2011</ref> |
|||
<ref name="AutoO6-6">Wiltshire, Trea. [First published 1987] (republished & reduced 2003). Old Hong Kong – Volume Two. Central, Hong Kong: Text Form Asia books Ltd. Page 11. ISBN Volume One 962-7283-60-6</ref> |
|||
<ref name="AutoO6-7">[[Austin Coates|Coates, Austin]] ''China Races'', Oxford University Press (China) (2 February 1984) pp133-140</ref> |
|||
<ref name="gatekeeper">{{cite web|url=https://gwulo.com/node/7200|title=Marble Hall Gatekeeper's Lodge [1901– ] {{!}} Gwulo: Old Hong Kong|website=gwulo.com|access-date=7 July 2019}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="AutoO6-8">{{Cite newspaper |newspaper=The Times |articlename=Court Circular|day_of_week=Wednesday |date=22 October 1902 |page_number=8 |issue=36905}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name=archive2011092812>[http://www3.hku.hk/hongrads/index.php/archive/graduate_detail/16 Congregation (1923) – Sir Catchick Paul CHATER, Doctor of Laws] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928122749/http://www3.hku.hk/hongrads/index.php/archive/graduate_detail/16 |date=28 September 2011 }}, University of Hong Kong</ref> |
|||
<ref name="AutoO6-9">According to her gravestone, Lady Maria Christine Chater was born 6 May 1879 and died 11 March 1935; but according to her birth certificate she was born 6 May 1874 in Granberga, Heby, Sweden</ref> |
|||
<ref name="AutoO6-10">Press Release (23 March 2007). "[http://www.news.gov.hk/en/citylife/070323/html/070323en20002.htm Chater art collection goes on show]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}", Hong Kong Museum of Art</ref> |
|||
<ref name=telegraphindia171832>{{cite news|title=A friend in need|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1170909/jsp/calcutta/story_171832.jsp|accessdate=9 September 2017|newspaper=The Telegraph|location=India|date=9 September 2017}}</ref> |
|||
<ref name="AutoO6-11">[http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/g1909/11841.pdf ''The Hong Kong Government Gazette''], 19 March 1909</ref> |
|||
}} |
|||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
{{Commons category|Catchick Paul Chater}} |
{{Commons category|Catchick Paul Chater}} |
||
* [http://www.vohuman.org/Article/Hormusjee%20Naorojee%20Mody.htm Article about Hormusjee Naorojee Mody with Chater & Mody] |
* [http://www.vohuman.org/Article/Hormusjee%20Naorojee%20Mody.htm Article about Hormusjee Naorojee Mody with Chater & Mody] |
||
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sirpaulchater/ Catchick Paul Chater |
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sirpaulchater/ Catchick Paul Chater – ongoing family history research by distant relative Liz Chater]} |
||
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2560696269174710602 Documentary on Sir Paul Chater], Henrik Terchonian (2005) Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Kolkata |
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2560696269174710602 Documentary on Sir Paul Chater], Henrik Terchonian (2005) Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Kolkata |
||
*{{YouTube|79be5qH_dNs|Sir Catchick Paul Chater Documentary Film |
*{{YouTube|79be5qH_dNs|Sir Catchick Paul Chater Documentary Film – Armenian Church Pilgrimage to Hong Kong 2005 (YouTube video)}} |
||
{{s-start}} |
{{s-start}} |
||
Revision as of 21:28, 4 November 2019
Sir Catchick Paul Chater | |
|---|---|
 Sir Paul Chater in 1924 | |
| Senior Unofficial Member of the Executive Council | |
| In office 8 September 1896 – 27 May 1926 | |
| Appointed by | William Robinson |
| Governor | William Robinson Henry Arthur Blake Matthew Nathan Frederick Lugard Francis Henry May Reginald Edward Stubbs Cecil Clementi |
| Succeeded by | Sir Henry Pollock |
| Senior Unofficial Member of the legislative council | |
| In office 1 May 1900 – 16 January 1906 | |
| Appointed by | Henry Arthur Blake |
| Governor | Henry Arthur Blake Matthew Nathan |
| Preceded by | Emanuel Raphael Belilios |
| Succeeded by | Sir Kai Ho |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Khachik Pogose Astwachatoor 8 September 1846 Calcutta, India |
| Died | 27 May 1926 (aged 79) British Hong Kong |
| Spouse | Maria Christine Pearson |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Paul Chater | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 遮打 | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Sir Catchick Paul Chater CMG (Template:Lang-hy; Chinese: 遮打; 8 September 1846 – 27 May 1926) was a prominent British-Indian businessman of Armenian descent in colonial Hong Kong, whose family roots were in Calcutta.
Biography
Early life
Chater was born Khachik Pogose Astwachatoor[1][2] (Template:Lang-hy) in Calcutta, British India, one of thirteen offspring of Armenian parents Miriam and Chater Paul Chater. His father was a member of the Indian civil service.
Chater was orphaned at the age of seven, and he gained entry into the La Martiniere College in Calcutta on a scholarship. He later became a benefactor of the school when, in 1924/25 he made the single biggest donation to any institution or organisation whilst still alive, donating eleven lakhs Rupees to the desperately struggling school, thus allowing it to avoid certain closure. To honour his contribution to the school, Sir Paul Chater's name was included in the school prayer.[3] In 1864,[4] he moved to Hong Kong from Calcutta and lived with the family of his sister Anna and sister's husband Jordan Paul Jordan.[5]
Career
In the early days in Hong Kong, he was an assistant at the Bank of Hindustan, China and Japan. Later, with the aid of the Sassoon family, he set up business as an exchange broker, resigned from the bank, and traded gold bullion and land on his own account.[5] He took sea-bed soundings at night in a sampan and was thus instrumental in plotting the reclamation of Victoria Harbour.[5] He is credited with a pivotal role in the colonial government's success in acquiring lands then held by the military, at a cost of two million pounds sterling.[4]
In 1868, he and Sir Hormusjee Naorojee Mody formed brokerage company Chater & Mody, a largely successful business partnership in Hong Kong, although the firm's Hong Kong Milling Company (aka Rennie's Mill) failed in 1908 and resulted in the suicide of Albert Rennie.[5]
In 1886, he helped Patrick Manson establish Dairy Farm, and he entered the Legislative Council that same year, taking the place of F.D. Sassoon.[6] Also in 1886 Chater established Kowloon Wharf and Godown, predecessor of The Wharf (Holdings).[7]
In 1889, he established Hongkong Land with James Johnstone Keswick.[8] Hong Kong Land commenced the land reclamation project under the Praya Reclamation Scheme in 1890. Persuaded by the suggestion of temporary councillor Bendyshe Layton that Hong Kong should have electricity, they secretly acquired an old graveyard in Wan Chai, where they built one of the earliest power stations in the world.[9] In 1890, the Hongkong Electric Company went into production.[10]
Chater was enthusiastic in two sports: He played for the Hong Kong Cricket Club 1st XI, and was a thoroughbred horse racing enthusiast. He reportedly never missed the weekly races at the Happy Valley Racecourse in 60 years.[9] He set up the Chater Stable in Hong Kong in 1872 that won many races at Happy Valley.[11] The Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup, the Group One third leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown, is named in his honour.
In 1896, Chater joined government ranks when he was appointed to the Executive Council of Hong Kong, and served there until 1926, the year of his death.[6] Chater was knighted in 1902. In 1901, Chater constructed a very fine home with imported European marble at 1, Conduit Road, Hong Kong which he named 'Marble Hall'.[12] Therein, he housed his collection of fine porcelain. To commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902, Chater presented a statue in bronze of the King to Hong Kong,[13] executed by George Edward Wade and unveiled at Statue Square in 1907. In 1904, Chater single-handedly financed the construction of St. Andrew's Church[4]
Some titles and positions held by Chater:
- Master of the Perseverance Lodge 1873
- Steward at the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club
- chairman of the board of Stewards of the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club (1892–1926)
- Senior Justice of the Peace in Hong Kong
- District Grand Master of Hong Kong and South China (1881–1909)
- Director of Dairy Farm Co. Ltd., 1886
- Consul for Siam in Hong Kong
- Treasurer and Chairman of the Queen Victoria Jubilee Committee 1887
- Member of the Légion d'honneur by the French Government at Tonkin 1892
- Member of the Public Lighting Committee 1896
- Member of the Governor's Executive Council 1896
- Chairman of the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Committee 1897
- Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George 1897
- Honorary degree of LL.D. by the University of Hong Kong[14] for services as the Honorary Treasurer 1923
Legacy
Chater died in 1926, and bequeathed Marble Hall and its entire contents, including his unique collection of porcelain and paintings, to Hong Kong. The remainder of his estate went to the Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth in Calcutta, which runs a home for Armenian elderly, named The Sir Catchick Paul Chater Home.[5] He was interred at the Hong Kong Cemetery.
Chater's wife lived in Marble Hall as a life tenant until her death in 1935.[12][15] Ownership then passed to the government. It became "Admiralty House" – the official residence of the Naval Commander-in-Chief, and was commandeered by Japanese during their occupation. It accidentally burned down in 1946, and the government buildings occupied the site since its demolition in 1953. Government residences named 'Chater Hall Flats' are today located on the site of Marble Hall.[12]
Chater amassed a large collection of historical pictures and engravings relating to China which he gifted to the colony. The Chater Collection was subject to a work by its curator, James Orange, in 1924, at which time the collection stood at 430 items. Its backbone was the collection of Wyndham Law of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, and included oil paintings, watercolours, sketches, prints and photographs, most of which are based on landscape scenes of the South China trading ports in the 18th and 19th centuries, and of British activities in China.[4] The Chater Collection was dispersed and largely destroyed during the Japanese occupation, and only 94 pieces (now an important part of the collection of the Hong Kong Museum of Art) are known to have survived.[16]
On the occasion of Paul Chater's 171 birthday a bust of Paul Chater was unveiled at the La Martiniere Boys School, Kolkata.[17]
- Chater Garden
- Chater House
- Chater Road[8]
- Catchick Street[8]
- Peking Road was named Chater Street until 1909, when it was renamed to avoid confusion with Chater Road.[18]
See also
References
- ^ Biography: Who Was This Man? CHATER. Liz Chater published 2010
- ^ “This was such a fantastic discovery for me and the first I knew that I had Armenian ancestors in my family”, HETQ online, 29 March 2010
- ^ Armenians in India: Mesrovb Seth, P.551
- ^ a b c d James Orange (1924). The Chater Collection: Pictures Relating to China, Hongkong, Macao, 1655–1860.
- ^ a b c d e England, Vaudine (16 December 2007) "Who was this man Chater?", Page 11, South China Morning Post
- ^ a b Vaudine England and Elizabeth Sinn, The Quest of Noel Croucher: Hong Kong's Quiet Philanthropist (Hong Kong University Press, 1998)
- ^ Robert Nield. The China Coast : Trade and the First Treaty Ports. Retrieved 8 September 2019 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Jason Wordie, Land-grabbing titans who changed HK's profit for good Archived 22 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, 18 April 1999
- ^ a b "The Legacy of Sir Catchick Paul Chater" Archived 8 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, City Life. Retrieved 28 January 2011
- ^ Wiltshire, Trea. [First published 1987] (republished & reduced 2003). Old Hong Kong – Volume Two. Central, Hong Kong: Text Form Asia books Ltd. Page 11. ISBN Volume One 962-7283-60-6
- ^ Coates, Austin China Races, Oxford University Press (China) (2 February 1984) pp133-140
- ^ a b c "Marble Hall Gatekeeper's Lodge [1901– ] | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong". gwulo.com. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
- ^ The Times. No. 36905. 22 October 1902.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|articlename=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|day_of_week=ignored (help); Unknown parameter|page_number=ignored (help) - ^ Congregation (1923) – Sir Catchick Paul CHATER, Doctor of Laws Archived 28 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, University of Hong Kong
- ^ According to her gravestone, Lady Maria Christine Chater was born 6 May 1879 and died 11 March 1935; but according to her birth certificate she was born 6 May 1874 in Granberga, Heby, Sweden
- ^ Press Release (23 March 2007). "Chater art collection goes on show[permanent dead link]", Hong Kong Museum of Art
- ^ "A friend in need". The Telegraph. India. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
- ^ The Hong Kong Government Gazette, 19 March 1909
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Catchick Paul Chater.
- Article about Hormusjee Naorojee Mody with Chater & Mody
- Catchick Paul Chater – ongoing family history research by distant relative Liz Chater}
- Documentary on Sir Paul Chater, Henrik Terchonian (2005) Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth, Kolkata
- Sir Catchick Paul Chater Documentary Film – Armenian Church Pilgrimage to Hong Kong 2005 (YouTube video) on YouTube
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
Categories:
- 1846 births
- 1926 deaths
- Hong Kong entrepreneurs
- Hong Kong people of Armenian descent
- Indian Armenians
- Jardine Matheson Group
- La Martiniere Calcutta alumni
- Members of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
- Members of the Executive Council of Hong Kong
- Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Ethnic Armenian businesspeople
- British Armenians
- Knights Bachelor
- Indian people of Armenian descent
- Indian emigrants to Hong Kong